City seeks grant for Summit Road work

Tuesday

The city plans to seek state funds to help pay for improvements to Summit Road between East Main Street and Refugee Road.

The city plans to seek state funds to help pay for improvements to Summit Road between East Main Street and Refugee Road.

Reynoldsburg City Council agreed Monday to authorize city engineer Jim Miller to work with EMH&T on a grant application that will be submitted to the Ohio Public Works Commission.

Miller said the purpose of the project is to mitigate the traffic that will be generated by the construction of a new elementary school and high school plus future development in the area.

The project will include new curb, gutter work and enclosed storm sewers, he said.

Because it could involve other entities such as the school district, Etna Township and a developer, Miller said he could not yet determine the total amount of the grant request but estimated the project could cost between $3-million and $7-million.

Miller said the OPWC grant would pay for approximately 75 percent of the project's cost. Reynoldsburg and any other participants would be responsible for the remaining 25 percent.

"That 25 percent is going to consist of all of our partners and we'll need to figure out how to come up with that portion of the cost," Miller said. "If everybody makes a contribution, it will score better on the OPWC application."

Miller said the local level of participation would determine the size of the project.

"If we get a lot of participation from people, this project can be substantial," he said. "If we don't get participation from anybody or anything, this project may die on Sept. 8."

That's the deadline for submitting requests to the OPWC, which is expected to award the grants early in 2009.

"The grant application will be submitted regardless, but I need participation to boost our score," Miller said.

If Reynoldsburg is successful in obtaining an OPWC grant, Miller said the engineering portion of the project will start in 2009 with construction beginning in early 2010 and completed by the end of that year.

A public hearing is scheduled for 6 p.m. Wednesday, Aug. 20, in city council chambers at the municipal building, 7232 E. Main St.

The purpose of the hearing is to inform the community of the project and reveal more details and the funding involved, Miller said.

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